3D Reconstruction by Shadow Carving: Theory and Practical Evaluation

Abstract. Cast shadows are an informative cue to the shape of objects. They are particularly valuable for discovering object’s concavities which are not available from other cues such as occluding boundaries. We propose a new method for recovering shape from shadows which we call shadow carving. Given a conservative estimate of the volume occupied by an object, it is possible to identify and carve away regions of this volume that are inconsistent with the observed pattern of shadows. We prove a theorem that guarantees that when these regions are carved away from the shape, the shape still remains conservative. Shadow carving overcomes limitations of previous studies on shape from shadows because it is robust with respect to errors in shadows detection and it allows the reconstruction of objects in the round, rather than just bas-reliefs. We propose a reconstruction system to recover shape from silhouettes and shadow carving. The silhouettes are used to reconstruct the initial conserv...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2007
• Where: IJCV
• Authors: Silvio Savarese, Marco Andreetto, Holly E. Rushmeier, Fausto Bernardini, Pietro Perona
• Keywords: Conservative Estimate, IJCV 2007, Informative Cue, Object’s Concavities